“This project took at least six months. I was a little confused by the idea of coloring books at first,” she says.

“As a designer, I have an obsession to control and make every detail exact. To submit only outlines of an unfinished piece was maddening, but I finally understood after a few meetings with the publisher. After that, it went much easier. I threw out many, drew some on the actual due date, completely reinvented many, and stayed up late and in during any and all major holidays.”

The result is a luscious, facial-hair filled collection of illustrations, infographics, and games. Adult coloring books are seeing a sharp spike in popularity, but Pomerleau’s beard coloring book is the first of its kind.

“I’ve been fascinated by body hair for as long as I can remember,” she says.

“It’s not considered ‘normal behavior’ for anyone living in Las Vegas where I’m from – where all you see are hairless, sculpted performers – as it’s hot, dry, and mostly miserable for hairy people.”

But her interested in all things hirsute grew, and she soon found herself presented with a unique artistic opportunity.

“I started drawing more bearded men through college, and while working for a publisher just for fun, my boss at the time suggested making a coloring book full of beards. I was very, very happy to have the opportunity to create something out of this as well as promote a healthy body image through adult coloring books.”

Pomerleau says the project became a huge part of her daily life, but she made an effort not to force or rush anything, but rather surrounded herself with the right inspiration.

“I lived and breathed this project, and I drew as I felt inspired,” she says.

“To prepare my mental state and environment for drawing, I mostly filled whatever space I was in with bourbon, burritos, and good vibes.”

As she shared her illustrations with her bearded friends, she found that their reactions were quite positive.

“They were so stoked, and that made me stoked,” she explains.

“I really grew as an artist, as anyone would with a project this size. I still haven’t learned enough of about the bearded community since I was mostly in hiding indoors, scrawling meditative patterns through hair drawings but I hope to learn more with release of the book this year.”